Alanna: Tale of Tortall's Lady Knight
by Kamrusepas Night
Summary: Alanna never made it to Corus - now fourteen and living in the City of the Gods she craves knighthood. When Liam Ironarm comes to the covent, he brings along a chance for Alanna's dreams to come true - and she takes it. (Chapter three now up!)
1. The Shang Dragon

**Disclaimer:** I own Jalee, Tonia, this story and any of its characters you do not recognize, while the divine Tamora Pierce owns everyone and everything mentioned in her - wonderful, divine, and original - books.

**Author's Note:** This is a vice-versa _Song of the Lioness_ story. Alanna was not able to get to Corus and there-by had to go to the City of the Gods.

**Comments:** I am in love with George Cooper. Back off, Alanna - he's all mine!

**Chapter One: The Shang Dragon**

Alanna sighed as she got out of bed. She had never been a noblish girl - but this was going _too_ far. Four years ago - four _very_ long years ago - Alanna's father, Lord Alan of Trebond had sent her to the City of the Gods and her brother to the capital city of Tortall, Corus. While Alanna and Thom, her twin brother had tried to switch places, so Thom could became a sorcerer and Alanna a knight, their plan had failed when Alanna's servant, also a healer, had left Fief Trebond - to visit her niece in Tyra, who had thirteen children and needed some help controlling them - and Lord Alan had hired a young woman named Jalee to take Alanna to the City of the Gods. Alanna and Thom had tried to fool Jalee into taking Thom to the City of the Gods, thinking that Thom was Alanna, but Jalee had noticed the difference and spoiled their plans. And so Alanna had gone to the City of the Gods to learn to be a lady.

It had been four years since then. Thom was soon to be a squire to the knight Gary (the Younger) of Naxen, but he still didn't have the natural-born war talent that had called to Alanna. Alanna, was living a lie in the covent - all the other noble girls and young woman were perky and feeble and Alanna felt like an outsider. The priestesses had tried to turn Alanna more feminine and had failed - miserably.

Alanna quickly walked over to her wardrobe and took out a pair of breeches and tunic - since she took no pleasure from her lady-training and magic studies, she had, for the last three and a half years, gotten up at dawn and practiced fighting skills with a friendly stable boy named Dara - who was about two years older than Alanna. Alanna opened up her third story window and looked outside. Sitting on the ground was a bored-looking Dara.

Alanna whistled, trying to get Dara's attention - she succeeded. Dara looked up and Alanna began to descend down the rope - which she hid in her wardrobe, behind her lady-like dresses with her breeches and tunics. Dara smiled at her as she reached the ground and looked around the covent grounds, as if searching for someone. 

"Have you seen him yet?" asked Dara in a whisper, his handsome face anxious.

"Who?" asked Alanna confused. Dara was acting odd - then again, a young boy who practice 

fought with a fourteen-year-old _girl_ had to be.

"Liam Ironarm - the Shang Dragon - is in the City of the Gods! Even more than that he's here at the covent - the High Priestess summoned him, when she heard he was in the City, to teach the young noble woman how to defend themselves," explained Dara. Alanna could hardly contain her glee - it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn _any_ kind of fighting - even lady-like self-defense - from someone who belonged to the Order of the Shang. 

"Where is he?" Alanna asked, trying not to show her happiness at the remarkable chance to meet someone - and learn from someone - with such a high status as a Shang warrior. She _had_ to meet him - maybe she could convince him to teach her the basic fighting techniques - not the self-defense the noble girls were learning - of a Shang warrior. _That _would certainly help her when she left the City of the Gods and went adventuring - although Alanna had been unable to go to the palace - because of her sex - she _knew_ that one day she would be a knight. No matter what, that day would come and Alanna could prove to everyone - including herself - that she _could_ become a knight - along with any other members of her sex.

Dara smiled - him and Alanna were the best of friends and he knew about her dreams of becoming a knight and going off on adventures and quests. He also knew that Alanna _would_ one day be a knight - he was no fool; he had seen Alanna in action and he knew she was as capable as any page or squire

studying to be a knight in the palace of the capital, Corus. 

Dara led Alanna into the courtyard were Anya Craft - the niece of one of the priestesses - often took the girls outside to enjoy the sun while learning the advanced stitches of embroidery - Alanna, needless to say, had some _very_ awful memories of the courtyard. . . especially of that one time when Tonia of Hergon got Alanna back for defending a younger girl by paying a stable boy to put a _giant_ spider in Alanna's embroidery thread, causing her to throw down her needlepoint and get some unwanted attention from Anya.

Standing in the courtyard was a man in his late-twenties. He had cooper hair - like Alanna - and a wonderful shade of blue-green for eyes; his face was marked with pox scars - Alanna immediately took a liking to him. The Dragon smiled when he saw Dara and Alanna approaching; as Alanna neared Liam looked her over and silently agreed with what Dara had told him; the young girl defiantly had spunk - she just needed a way to show the world it; and Liam _would_ help her do that.

~*~*~*~

Alanna moaned as she dropped into bed without bothering to take off her tunic and breeches. It had been two months since Liam had first come to the City of the Gods, and since then he had been secretly teaching Alanna many fighting techniques - not just those of a Shang warrior -, unknown to anyone except Dara. Alanna _hadn't_ told Liam about her dream to be a knight yet, but he knew - he had either guessed or Dara had told him. She was still surprised about none of the covent girls noticing the time she spent with Liam - which was usually in the evening -; they no doubt thought Liam was courting her, despite the near twenty-years age difference.

Alanna drifted off into a deep sleep within minutes.

~*~*~*~

Liam smiled as he saw Alanna approaching; Dara at her side. She was such a brilliant girl; so unlike most noble girls; she had no idea how deep Dara's feeling were for her - she was oblivious to the boy's _un-platonic_ feelings and un-self-centered. 

"What are we doing today? Hand combat?" asked Alanna as she and Dara came within hearing range. Although her fighting lessons were obviously wearing her out, she was as eager as ever to learn more

despite the physical pain of the lessons - a sign of a great warrior-to-be. Liam had been quite taken with Alanna; he couldn't wait to see her face when she heard his news.

"We won't be doing lessons for a while," started Liam.

"Why?" asked Alanna terrified - the past couple months had been ideal to Alanna. The kind of training she would of been doing if she had been able to pass as a boy in Corus.

Liam smiled, as if reading her mind, "Because we're leaving for the capital tomorrow at dawn."

**Note: **Chapter two will be up later on in the week. Please review - tell me what you think about it.


	2. Shining Stars

**Disclaimer: **I own Dara, Jalee, Tonia, this story and any other characters you do not recognize, while Ms. Pierce owns everyone and everything mentioned in her divine books. 

****

Comments: Please review. Oh, and I was wondering: _Does anyone want to start a George Cooper fan club?_ As I've said before, I totally love him - we could G.C.F.C (George Cooper Fan Club) or something. If interested email me or tell me in your review - if you leave a review that is.

**Chapter Two: Shining Stars**

Alanna pulled on a pair of breeches and a tunic, then grabbed the rest of her men's clothes and the few weapons she had (given to her by Dara and Liam). She quickly packed them into a small oak trunk with a silver lock. She ran over to the window - Dara was already there, looking anxiously up at the window. She waved at him and then pulled the trunk over to the window, while simultaneously tying a long piece of rope to it.

Alanna put the trunk outside the window and began to let go the rope - bit by bit -, allowing the trunk to slowly descend to the ground. Once it was on the ground, Alanna crouched on top of the window sill, in a jumping position. Alanna waited until Dara was standing right below the window and jumped. Dara caught Alanna, just as Liam entered the area. Liam quickly walked over, holding two long robes - Alanna and Dara were to pose as priests until they were out of the City of the Gods.

"The horses are outside the stable - we have to get going," he said as he picked up Alanna's trunk and headed towards the stables, Alanna and Dara right behind. When they reached the stables Liam attached Alanna's trunk onto a horse that already held two other small trunks - Dara's and Liam's. He guided Alanna over to a chestnut cob and helped her up - it had been _quite_ a while since Alanna had been able to ride a horse, because of the priestesses at the covent. By the time Alanna had settled on her horse, Dara and Liam were waiting anxiously near the courtyard. 

They reached the walls of the City of the Gods without trouble - it was when they _reached _the walls that they had a problem. The guards had been informed that a fourteen-year-old noble had gone missing, perhaps even kidnapped - _that_ caused Dara to laugh -, and they were to search for the young noble. Liam assured them that he had seen nothing and that his two companions were priests heading Galla, for the March fair in Cria - if the priestesses ever _did_ figure out that Alanna had been in disguise as a priest, which was highly doubtful, Liam didn't want them knowing where they were really going.

~*~*~*~

At sunset Liam, Alanna and Dara set up camp in a forest, inside a clearing. While Liam made his way down to the river he knew of - Liam had camped in around the same spot on his way to the City of the Gods -, Alanna and Dara began to build a fire. When they were done Dara took out a map and calculated the distance they had left to travel, until they reached Barony Olau - although Dara was a commoner, his father had been a great mage and believed that his son should learn _all_ the skills nobles learned, so he taught them to Dara. 

Liam came back with two large pieces of fish and began to cook them over the fire. During dinner Liam told Alanna and Dara about his adventures as the Shang Dragon and how he came to be the Dragon. Alanna and Dara were amazed at the level of commitment it took to be a Shang warrior - nobles started the training to be a knight usually at the age of ten, but Shang warriors-be-to began their training from ages four to seven.

"You younglings are best to get some rest, we leave camp early tomorrow - I want to get to Corus as soon as possible," said Liam as he noticed the darkness of the sky. Alanna and Dara put out the fire as Liam began heading to the tent he and Dara shared. As Alanna opened the flap of her tent she glanced out at the night sky. The stars shone bright - filled with opportunities. _Wish me luck_, Alanna thought to the stars as she slipped into the tent.

As Alanna drifter to sleep, outside one of the stars started to brighten - and a lone lady floated down to the earth outside her tent. 

**Note:** Chapter three will be up soon - please review.


	3. Mother Goddess

**Disclaimer:** I own Dara, Jalee, Tonia, this story and any other characters you do not recognize, while the divine Ms. Pierce owns everyone and everything mentioned in her books - which are as equally divine as her. Oh, and Mary Frith/Moll Cutpurse owns herself - she was one of the most notorious Elizabethan thieves of the British underworld. Okay, I think I'm done with this little history class. . .

**Comments:** Just, review.

**Dedication:** This chapter is dedicated to Dana; who introduced me to T. D. H. B.

**Chapter Three: Mother Goddess**

The Mother Goddess drifted down to Alanna's tent. She went through the closed entrance of Alanna's tent and headed towards Alanna's bedroll. Once there she put a hand on top of Alanna's forehead and kept it there.

_Alanna sat in a clearing - much like the one that her tent now occupied - in front of a giant tree stump. Beside her stood the Mother Goddess. The Mother Goddess took Alanna's hand and guided it to a small speck on the stump. Alanna gasped - instead of the line that had earlier occupied that small space, there was now a small wooden orb, that glowed a purple color._

"This is the Tree of Life," the Mother told her. "And this -" she pointed to the wooden orb, that now reclined on Alanna's open palm - "is Life's gift to you. Use it well, and it will reward you and save you from certain fates. Misuse it and it will destroy itself and you along with it."

"How do I use it?" asked Alanna confused.

"You will find the power within - when the time calls." The Mother Goddess paused for a moment. "You will have a rough road, my child - but one with many rewards. You will have great friends and great enemies. Goodbye, my child - we will meet again."

Alanna woke-up the next morning at dawn, under her pillow lay her open palm - which held the wood orb.

~*~*~*~

On the third day of Alanna, Liam and Dara's travels the three woke-up at dawn. Alanna hadn't yet shown her wooden orb to the two men, nor had she told them about the dream with the Mother Goddess. The group hadn't met any one on the road during since they had left the City of the Gods - and they hoped it would stay that way.

Around noon the three stopped beside the road and Liam took out his crossbow to hunt down lunch. Dara started a fire, while Alanna went to go scout the valley beneath the cliff a ways away from the road. She smiled as she hiked through the bushes, towards the cliff and the valley - as a girl she had enjoyed walking in the woods around Fief Trebond with Thom. 

"Liam? Dara?" she whispered as she heard a rustle in the trees in front of her - not the rustle of an animal, but the rustle of a human in the leaves. Her answer was a human jumping on her from behind. The person - it was impossible for Alanna to tell if her attacker was male or female - pinned Alanna down to the ground, but before her attacker could do anything else, Alanna turned to her side as far as she could and they both went tumbling down the hill to their left.

They were stopped at the bottom of the hill by a large oak tree. The force of their fall caused the last of the fall leaves on the tree to come falling down on them. Alanna looked over to her attacker and saw a young boy with short, messy raven hair and matching black hair, wearing tan breeches and a black shirt. The youth smiled at her and stuck out a hand.

"'Tis Cutpurse. The name's Moll Cutpurse. And what would ye name be, lass?" she asked Alanna - who had realized by then that her attacker was a girl in disguise as a boy, like herself. _What is she doing out here by her lonesome?_ thought Alanna. 

"Alanna," said Alanna - there was no use in lying about her sex to Moll, she had already stated in her question that she had guessed. "Alanna of Trebond. Glad to meet you," Alanna said as she stuck out her hand.

**Note:** Just review - and chapter four will be up soon.


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